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4434GEAS Project Astronomy Laboratory Exerciseshttp://www.merlot.org/merlot/viewMaterial.htm?id=803941
Laboratory science materials for distance education college students, those who study outside of the traditional classroom at times and in places that work best for them. The exercises create opportunities for hands-on learning, through physical experiments that can be done with common household items (combining pins, needles, measuring tape, and a little elbow grease). Students also conduct their own analyses of astronomical images and spectra for planets, stars, and galaxies taken with telescopes from all over the world, including space-based instruments like the Hubble Space Telescope and spacecraft like the Mars Odyssey Orbiter which have traveled to nearby planets and moons.Introduction to Astronomyhttp://www.merlot.org/merlot/viewMaterial.htm?id=730297
This is a free online course offered by the Saylor Foundation.'You will be introduced to our current understanding of the universe and how we have come to this understanding. We will start with the ancient Greeks and their belief that the universe was an orderly place capable of being understood. We will continue through history, as we acquired more information on the nature of the universe and our models of the universe changed to reflect this. This will take us through several different worldviews.As noted above, we will begin with the Greek worldview, which was characterized by the belief that the earth was the immovable center of the universe; this was known as the “geocentric” model. Although this worldview is wrong in many of its details, it was a very important first step. It explained the universe well enough that it lasted almost two thousand years. By 1600, this belief was beginning to be challenged by such people as Copernicus, Kepler, and Galileo; finally, it was completely done away with by the physics of Newton. By 1700, the heliocentric model, with the sun at the center and the earth and other planets in orbit around it, had replaced the geocentric one. The model of the universe based on the physics of Newton lasted into the twentieth century. It has since been replaced by our contemporary model.The most essential feature of our contemporary model is that the universe is evolving. It had a beginning in time, some 13.7 billion years ago, in an unimaginably hot and dense state, and evolved, as a result of the expansion of space, to develop structures: first hydrogen and helium atoms, then stars and galaxies. The stars evolved to produce the heavier elements, casting them out into space through their explosive deaths. From leftover hydrogen and helium, together with the new heavier elements, later generations of stars formed, some, such as our own sun, with planets around them. On our earth, geological processes transformed the environment to allow for the development of life and eventually us.'Life in the Universe App for iOShttp://www.merlot.org/merlot/viewMaterial.htm?id=717101
'Twenty years ago we knew of exactly one planetary system: our own. Today in late 2012 we know of more than 800 confirmed planets around other stars, with a few thousand candidate systems awaiting confirmation. Life in the Universe is an introduction to Astrobiology for non-science majors. The topics covered in this course lie at the interfaces between Astronomy, Chemistry, Biology, and the Earth and Planetary sciences. We will learn about scientists' ongoing quest for answers to some of the most fundamental human questions: How did life originate on Earth? Is there life on other worlds? Are we alone in the universe? What is the long-term future of life in the universe? The course covers three primary topics:The emergence and nature of life on the EarthThe potential for life on other planets in our Solar SystemThe search for habitable worlds and life around other stars in our Galaxy. The course will begin with a brief introduction to modern science and astronomy, and end with a brief discussion of the long-term future of life on Earth and in the Universe in general. The lectures were recorded live in my Astronomy 141 class during Winter Quarter 2012. The lecture slides were reformatted for this iTunes U course, primarily to remove copyrighted graphics derived from the textbook which, while covered under Fair Use in the classroom, cannot be used in a public version of the course like this.' Astronomy Course Onlinehttp://www.merlot.org/merlot/viewMaterial.htm?id=659377
An astronomy course with lectures, exercises, and animations. Level is freshman college for the non-science major. This is a survey course of Astronomy/Astrophysics, as taught at Valdosta State University.Academic Earthhttp://www.merlot.org/merlot/viewMaterial.htm?id=656569
Academic Earth offers free in-depth Online classes and courses from the world's leading scholars to encourage worldwide distance learning without any physical boundardies. 1500+ Video-based lectures in a variety of subjects from 30+ universities. 8.224 Exploring Black Holes: General Relativity & Astrophysicshttp://www.merlot.org/merlot/viewMaterial.htm?id=554950
Study of physical effects in the vicinity of a black hole as a basis for understanding general relativity, astrophysics, and elements of cosmology. Extension to current developments in theory and observation. Energy and momentum in flat spacetime; the metric; curvature of spacetime near rotating and nonrotating centers of attraction; trajectories and orbits of particles and light; elementary models of the Cosmos. Weekly meetings include an evening seminar and recitation. The last third of the semester is reserved for collaborative research projects on topics such as the Global Positioning System, solar system tests of relativity, descending into a black hole, gravitational lensing, gravitational waves, Gravity Probe B, and more advanced models of the Cosmos.16.346 Astrodynamicshttp://www.merlot.org/merlot/viewMaterial.htm?id=555633
This course covers the fundamentals of astrodynamics, focusing on the two-body orbital initial-value and boundary-value problems with applications to space vehicle navigation and guidance for lunar and planetary missions, including both powered flight and midcourse maneuvers. Other topics include celestial mechanics, Kepler's problem, Lambert's problem, orbit determination, multi-body methods, mission planning, and recursive algorithms for space navigation. Selected applications from the Apollo, Space Shuttle, and Mars exploration programs are also discussed.8.282J / 12.402J Introduction to Astronomyhttp://www.merlot.org/merlot/viewMaterial.htm?id=554629
Introduction to Astronomy provides a quantitative introduction to the physics of the solar system, stars, the interstellar medium, the galaxy, and the universe, as determined from a variety of astronomical observations and models.16.522 Space Propulsionhttp://www.merlot.org/merlot/viewMaterial.htm?id=554705
Space Propulsion begins with a review of rocket propulsion fundamentals. The course then proceeds into advanced propulsion concepts, ranging from chemical to electrical engines. Propulsion system selection criteria and mission analysis are introduced. The bulk of the semester is devoted to the physics and engineering of various engine classes, including electrothermal, electrostatic and electro-magnetic. Specific topics include arcjets, ion engines, Hall thrusters and colloid thrusters.8.901 Astrophysics Ihttp://www.merlot.org/merlot/viewMaterial.htm?id=554765
This course provides a graduate-level introduction to stellar astrophysics. It covers a variety of topics, ranging from stellar structure and evolution to galactic dynamics and dark matter.